“Style” and Encaustic

I recently made the connection that the word style is derived from the Latin word “stilus” meaning “stake or pointed instrument which the Romans used for writing on wax tablets”

This immediately intrigued me for two reasons:

Roman Wax tablet and Stilus

1. My paintings are made in large part, with wax.

2. I love seeing and collecting images of people’s individual styles. Whether it be fashion style or their home interior – I can’t get enough of seeing unique style.

Painting by Cy Twombly Painting using marks that resemble handwriting

Just as our mood or purpose might change our writing style – our handwriting always remains distinctively ours. As we change, we change much more than our handwriting. We change our style of dress, handwriting, word choices, home interior – always telling who we are in our own distinct way.

For me, painting is the purist form of personal expression, and seeing as I make my markson and with wax, I, like the Romans, am using mark making to express my style.